BEST Lessons for Graduate
Student Professional Development:
Cornell’s Experience
Barbara A. Knuth, Senior Vice Provost and Dean
July, 2015
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The Nationwide BEST Consortium
Broadening Experiences in Scientific
Training (BEST) Program
Enhance training opportunities for STEM Ph.D.s &
postdoctoral scholars to prepare for careers “outside of
conventional academic research”
 NIH focus on careers in biomedical research workforce
 Cornell focus on STEM workforce
Core competencies:
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Communication
Teaching
Career Development
Leadership and
Management
 Personal Development
 Responsible Conduct of
Research
www.BEST.cornell.edu
Sponsors:
• NIH
• Graduate School
• Colleges
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Agriculture & Life
Sciences
Arts & Sciences
Engineering
Human Ecology
Veterinary
Medicine
Needs Assessment
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Cornell PhD Alumni Career Outcomes Survey
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What are our alumni doing?
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How well did their Cornell graduate education prepare them?
Graduating Student Exit Survey
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To what extent were learning outcomes achieved?
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What will graduating students be doing?
Doctoral Student Experience Survey
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What are students seeking and participating in?
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New Student Survey
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“Focus groups” – faculty, students, alumni
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New Student Survey
All Disciplines
Physical Sciences & Engineering
Life Sciences
Humanities
Social Sciences
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PhD Experience Survey
All Disciplines
Physical Sciences & Engineering
Humanities
Life Sciences
Social Sciences
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PhD Exit Survey
Physical Sciences & Engineering
Life Sciences
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Faculty Perspectives
Faculty Priorities for BEST
Important Skills are Transferable
Cornell BEST participants
By college
By field/dept
Two levels of Cornell participation
1. The ‘Sampler’
– Learn more about different career possibilities
with your PhD degree
– Acquire knowledge about the skills required in
each career pathway
– Decide how the pros and cons mesh with your
own career objectives
• Individual Development Plan:
• ScienceCareers myIDP encouraged
• Existing workshops:
• Graduate School, CU-CIRTL, CTE, Office of
Postdoctoral Studies
• Attend events:
• IP&Pizza, Entrepreneurship@C, REV, MedTech see
www.BEST.cornell.edu/events
• Join a club:
• ASAP – Advancing Science and Policy
• CGCC – Cornell Graduate Consulting Club
• TEC – Technology and Entrepreneurship Club
• Take courses:
• SciPol Bootcamp (BME 4440); Science Communication (COMM 5660);
BSL Business as a 2nd Language (BME 5950); Leadership Development
for Life Scientists (ALS 5100)
Career Panel Discussions
Two levels of participation
1. The ‘Sampler’
2. The ‘Lingo’
• In-depth exposure and practice of the skills
• Longer term or more intensive hands-on
talent development
• Learn the language of the field
• Be able to say “I’ve done that”
GET EXPERIENCE and CREDIBILITY
• Academic credit
– e.g., Over 70 courses across Cornell in Entrepreneurship
• Certificates
– Online offerings in Six Sigma, Lean, QA/QC, Biopharmaceutical,
Regulatory affairs, Medical devices
• Experience
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Enter a business plan or case competition
Apply for a seed grant (CAT, NEXUS, SBIR…)
Start a company
Be a speaker at an industry conference
Help shape NY legislation
Flexible hours internship
EXAMPLE INTERNSHIPS:
• 5-10h/wk at Cornell’s Environmental Health and Safety as a
biosafety analyst
• 5-10h/wk at the Cornell licensing office
• 2d/wk at a venture capital investment firm as a life sciences
venture analyst
• 10 weeks at a startup firm in food science
• 3 months between defense and degree conferral at a consulting
firm in Luxembourg
• 4 months at a strategic analysis firm in Washington, D.C. in science
policy
• 6 months at a large biopharma company in downstream
processing
Start to change the culture
• Build on existing seminar series on campus to include
speakers from beyond academia
• Fund half the travel costs
• Encourage trainees to invite, host, and organize an
interactive session in addition to a lunch discussing
their career trajectory
e.g. Nathan Seppa,
ScienceNews reporter
• BEST funded a postdoc to attend a PreSeed Workshop (PSW) to evaluate the
commercial potential of his cleantech idea
• As a result of BEST referrals and
networking at the PSW, he assembled a
business team to complement his science
• Together they applied for and were
awarded a NYSERDA NEXUS grant to
examine the feasibility
• They are currently talking to potential
customers and developing a prototype
• Externship in Albany over spring break
• Take a course in science policy
• Prepare and pitch a bill for congressional
consideration
• Participate in answering the questions that the
Department of Health or the Department of
Environmental Conservation receive from elected
officials
• Travel to D.C. to visit AAAS and the Hill
• Get placed in a state or federal agency as a
Fellow
• A BEST trainee was paired with a
science communication
professional to learn how to write
press releases
• With this mentoring she learned
how to conduct interviews; the
purpose, structure and mechanics
of writing; and editing
• She has now co-authored two
Cornell Chronicle articles
• Externship with the Food and Drug Administration
• Visit biocontainment facilities and learn how they’re
run
• Workshops on quality assurance, good lab
practices
• Write an SOP, understand certification and
compliance
• Coursework in governance, risk and compliance
• Internship in a Quality Control department in a
company (food, brewing, chemical, biomedical)
• BESTernship with Cornell’s Environmental Health
& Safety
Hallmarks of the Cornell BEST Program
• Remind Faculty and Trainees: primary objective is successful PhD or
postdoctoral training
• Flexible
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No requirements
As much time as trainees have to devote
Ready when you are
Suggest your own ideas for career preparation
• Experiential
– Apply what you learn
– Customize it to fit your needs
– Write it on your resume
Lessons Learned
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Not every faculty needs to endorse the program
BEST is not for everyone
Advisory board of students and postdocs helps with outreach, marketing, event
planning, shaping the program
Adapt program vision and components (e.g., added consulting as a career)
Evaluation will be challenging
– Windrose evaluation questions differ from existing surveys
– Windrose evaluation questions will be asked only at end of year two of program
– BEST is inclusive rather than exclusive
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Emphasize primary objective: complete degree!
– Complement faculty efforts to make training experience better
– Alleviate faculty pain points
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Share positive messages
Meet with PIs when needed, especially if PIs are uncertain about their trainees
participating
– Quarterly check-ins
– Discontinue BEST privileges if inadequate academic progress
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Collaborate across units – academic departments, Graduate School, Career Services,
Alumni Affairs, Office of Postdoctoral Studies, student organizations, external
organizations
– Identify gaps
– Coordinate to fill perceived gaps
– Use available online resources
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